“It doesn’t matter what is my next fight,” Machida today told MMAjunkie.com Radio (www.mmajunkie.com/radio). “I would like to fight for the title, but even another fight I would fight.”

The UFC chose Machida from two headlining bouts at this past weekend’s UFC on FOX 4 to fight the winner of an upcoming title bout between champ Jon Jones and Dan Henderson, which takes place Sept. 1 at UFC 151.

Although the event’s headliner, Mauricio “Shogun” Rua, put in a strong bid with a gutsy four-round win over Brandon Vera, UFC president Dana White said Machida’s behind-the-scenes lobbying may have cinched the No. 1 contender spot.

Still polishing his English skills, Machida was far more modest in speaking about his career during today’s interview. But passion colored his voice when he spoke about the chance to win back the belt.

“I just want to be a champion again,” he said. “It doesn’t matter who my opponent is.”

After going 6-0 inside the octagon, Machida won the belt from Rashad Evans at UFC 98 by second-round knockout. He then defended it five months later at UFC 104 against Rua in a highly controversial decision. Rua avenged the loss with a first-round knockout at UFC 113 to win the belt.

Machida returned and suffered a further setback with a razor-close decision loss to Quinton “Rampage” Jackson at UFC 123 but again wowed audiences with a front-kick knockout of Randy Couture at UFC 129.

In his first bid to win back the title, Machida faced Jones at UFC 140 and won the first round on one judge’s scorecard. But that was tossed out the window when Jones choked him unconscious in the second round.

Machida said he’ll need to focus on his wrestling to be successful the second time around.

“I think I have another chance,” he said. “Because it was difficult for [Jones]. I beat him in the first round, but Jones is a great athlete and fighter. He changes his style all the time. He has a good coach and good strategy, but I think I have a chance to beat him.

“He has good wrestling, and his reach is very long. I have to train a lot on how to get inside, and how I can beat him. He’s very tough. He can control the fight when he uses his wrestling. That’s why I have to train more wrestling, and more defense.”

Machida surprised many by weighing in well below the light-heavyweight cutoff of 206 pounds at a mere 201. There were suggestions of a possible move down to middleweight, but today, the fighter said he felt comfortable coming in a little lighter.

“I feel quicker and fresher with more agility,” he said. “I can use my technique more easily because I feel very light.”

Whether size becomes an issue against Jones, who has openly spoken of moving to heavyweight, is a question for later.

This past Saturday, Machida provided an answer to a different question: who is next in line for the title shot.

“Life poses a lot more challenges than easy things, so when you’re faced with a challenge, you’ve just got to step up to the plate, and that’s what I do,” he said.

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